White Night
by Heart of PureSilver
Summary: Ichigo Kurosaki was a normal teenager living a normal life with the abnormal talent of seeing spirits. His life changes all in one night when he meets a Soul Reaper. That Soul Reaper...is Byakuya Kuchiki. AU, One-Shot.


Light shined down on the vacant streets of Karakura Town. The orange and red hues of the horizon meshed together with the light of the setting sun, giving off a feeling of peace and tranquility. On one street, however, the tranquility was broken by the sounds of bones breaking. The victim skidded across the pavement, stopping right before his frightened buddies. The cries of concern for the male fell on deaf ears for the perpetrator. Spiky orange hair that rivaled the sun in its brightness, hardened brown eyes, a permanent scowl on his face; this was Ichigo Kurosaki.

"The hell is wrong with you!?" one of the thuggish teens yelled.

"I'll tell you what the hell's wrong!" the carrot-top snapped. "Take a look at that!"

Ichigo pointed to a slightly broken bottle that was placed by a pole. A flower was inside the bottle, a number of its petals crumpled and lost. Water was still flowing out of the bottle, staining the street wet.

"You! Smelly lookin' guy!" Ichigo shouted as he pointed to one of the teenagers. The male pointed to himself an let out a startled 'me?'. "Tell me. What is that?"

"Uh…I guess it's an offering to some kid who died here?"

"Give it up for Smelly!" Ichigo congratulated sarcastically as he kicked the teen in the face. His other two buddies cried out as they asked him if he was alright.

"And _why_ is that bottle lying on its side?" asked Ichigo, glaring fiercely at the delinquents.

"Well, I guess we must've…knocked it over with our skate…boards?"

"Exactly!" Ichigo shouted as he delivered a quick series of kicks at them. "NOW GET LOST! THE NEXT TIME I SEE YOUR FACES AROUND HERE, THOSE FLOWERS WILL BE FOR YOU!"

Understandably, all the teenage delinquents ran for their lives, screaming like little girls in fear. Ichigo crossed his arms in triumph, his scowl being replaced by a small smirk. He turned and picked up the bottle, setting it upright against the pole.

"Thank you," the small girl said gratefully.

"No problem," the orange-haired teen replied. "I'll replace these when I get home tomorrow."

The spirit nodded before fading away. Ichigo picked up his book bag and began making his way home. Ichigo was no normal teenager. He could see spirits. However, the high school student deemed the ability as more of an annoyance than anything. He was in a bad mood when he saw those thugs thoughtlessly barrel across that girl's resting place, so when his father greeted him by kicking him in the chin and then scolding him for being late, Ichigo blew up.

He loved his father, he truly did, but sometimes that old fart was a real pain in the ass. The two got into a scuffle, as they usually did when Isshin kicked Ichigo when the teen was least expecting it. Yuzu reprimanded the two for their childish behavior and Karin informed Ichigo that another ghost was haunting him. As if the ghost wasn't annoying enough, his father threw off his balance and sat on top of Ichigo. That settled it for the berry-head; he threw Isshin off of him before socking him right in the face. The carrot-top managed to knock out his old man before stomping angrily up the stairs to his room, Yuzu's worried cries falling on deaf ears.

When he made it to his room, he threw his book bag on his desk chair before flopping onto his bed. He sighed as he stared at the ceiling. More ghosts than ever had been haunting him and he was getting sick of it. It didn't help that he had no way of stopping it. Ichigo cursed as he glared holes into his ceiling. He then gasped when he saw something out of the ordinary.

A black swallowtail butterfly.

It flew into his room through his open window, fluttering past him and landing on his desk chair. He jolted upright when he heard the sound of feet landing on his desk. He jerked his head toward the noise, his mouth hung open and eyes wide in shock. Standing on his desk was a man with a cold look on his face. He wore a flowing black kimono, which highlighted the lighter colored accessories he wore. A light green scarf was wrapped around his neck and five ornamental clips of the same color were in his midnight black hair. Steel grey eyes were focused, as if searching for something. His hand grabbed hold of a sword that was strapped to his waist. Ichigo immediately backed away into his wall, thinking the weird samurai guy was after him. The man stepped off his desk, his eyes flickering around the room. When he didn't move, Ichigo fumed. How dare this burglar just come in and ignore the fact that there was a witness right in front of his face!

"It's close," the man stated.

"HOW'S _THIS_ FOR CLOSE, JERK-OFF?!" Ichigo roared as he slammed his foot into the elder male's behind.

A reverberating thud rang throughout the room. The "samurai" landed brusquely on the floor. Ichigo pointed at the man, an anger mark pulsing on his head.

"Pretty cocky for a burglar, aint'cha?" Ichigo snarled. "What's close? The safe? You've got some nerve, coming in and talking to yourself like no one's here!"

The male turned his head to look at Ichigo. He was still lying in the same position on the floor.

"You…are able to see me?" the man asked, his eyes widening slightly. "Impossible."

"What are you talking about? Heck yeah, I can see you. It _was_ **_my_ **foot that just kicked your ass," the berry-head said. "It's not every day you see some poor excuse of a samurai break into your room."

The black-clad man said nothing as he stood up, his cold look back in place on his face. He brushed invisible dust off his hakamas before looking back at the carrot-top. His eyes looked Ichigo over, analyzing his features. A vein pulsed on Ichigo's head as the eyes continued to bore into him.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer," the fifteen-year-old snapped.

"Your likeness to _him_ is astounding," the other male stated before turning away and closing his eyes.

"Listen, pretty boy," Ichigo said. The "samurai" stiffened up at the name. "I don't know who you're talking about and, frankly, I don't give a shit. But I DO mind the fact that you're breaking and entering! I oughta call the cops on you!"

"Do not waste your breath, boy," the man said coldly. "Normal humans cannot see me. I am a Soul Reaper."

* * *

"Huh…Soul Reaper?"

"Correct," the so called "Soul Reaper" said.

"So let me get this straight. You're something called a 'Soul Reaper', right?"

"Yes."

"And you came from this place called the 'Soul Society'?"

"Yes."

"To take out these monsters that hunt down humans and spirits?"

"Yes."

"THE HELL KIND OF CRAP ARE YOU SMOKING!?"

A table went flying in Ichigo's disbelieving rage. No emotion passed over the Soul Reaper's face when the piece of furniture landed. Ichigo glared at the man, thinking the guy belonged in a mental ward.

"You can see spirits, yet you deny the existence of Soul Reapers? You are a fool," the Soul Reaper chided.

"I've never seen or heard of 'Soul Reapers' before and your story is just as unrealistic," explained the carrot-top. "I don't believe anything I can't see."

The Soul Reaper stood up, staring into Ichigo's eyes. He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, causing Ichigo to stiffen at the action. In less than the blink of an eye, he brought the sword out and brought the hilt down at the area Ichigo was standing at. The tangerine-haired teen dove out of the way, thinking that the Soul Reaper was trying to kill him. He landed on the floor before he nervously looked over his shoulder. He gasped when he saw the hilt of the Soul Reaper's sword on the forehead of the ghost that had been haunting him recently. The ghost made desperate pleas about not wanting to be sent to the underworld. The Soul Reaper said nothing as he removed the hilt of his sword from the specter's forehead. A bright light formed under the ghost and a peaceful expression replaced his panicked one. The spirit sunk into the blue light before they both faded away, leaving behind a black swallowtail butterfly.

"You saw that, did you not?" the Soul Reaper said, sheathing his sword. Ichigo stood up, glaring at the elder male.

"Okay, I won't deny what I saw and you're obviously not human if you can make apparitions disappear in a fancy blue light show," Ichigo muttered. "But I still don't believe whatever crap comes out of your mouth. Go play your 'Soul Reaper' game somewhere else, _Princess_."

"You are too cocky, boy," The man said in a low, dangerous tone.

He pointed a finger at Ichigo's forehead. A second later, something forced his arms behind his back and all strength left his legs. The teen fell limply to the floor, the Soul Reaper looking down at him.

"You frickin' she-male! What'd you do to me!?" Ichigo roared as he struggled against his invisible bindings.

"Bakudo #1: Sai. This is Kidō—the demon way," he stated. "Spells that only a Soul Reaper can cast. Struggle all you want; a human cannot break through my Kidō."

Ichigo scoffed. A foot stomped on his shoulder. He hissed, wincing at the pressure behind the assault.

"Do not scoff," the Soul Reaper ordered. "I am heir to one of the great noble families within the Soul Society. I may appear young to you, but I have lived over fifteen of your lifetimes. I could easily kill you if I so wished if not for the Soul Society's laws."

Ichigo said nothing as sweat trailed down his neck. The Soul Reaper was serious; he could tell. His eyes did not lie about his desire to kill the fifteen-year-old.

"Be grateful, brat, that your life is spared. Even without the law, I needn't sully my blade with the blood of a _human_," he said as he removed his foot. "Now that I have your undivided attention, I can complete my explanation. I will even use visual images so that your fragile mind can comprehend it."

He pulled a notebook out of nowhere and began drawing illustrations to show his point. Ichigo gaped in disbelief at the drawings. They looked like green clouds with arms and legs! How _old_ was this "Soul Reaper" again? He looked a few years older than Ichigo (in reality, _way_ over two centuries old), yet he drew like a five-year-old!

"There are two kinds of souls in this world. The first are called Wholes. They are the spirits you see wandering around due to lingering regrets, awaiting a Soul Reaper to help them pass on. The second are called Hollows. They are monsters that attack the living and dead in order to devour their souls. For Soul Reapers, we have two duties: to exorcize the Hollows and to send the Wholes to the Soul Society through Konsō. You witnessed a Konsō not long ago. Do you understand, boy?"

"All I understand is that your artistic skills are craptastic," Ichigo deadpanned. "Whatever that is, it looks like green shit…literally."

If looks could kill, Ichigo would've been skewered fifty times over and then burnt in the deepest layers of Hell. Ichigo could practically see the dark aura blazing around the Soul Reaper; his eyes were shadowed by his bangs, giving him an almost demonic appearance. Ichigo sweatdropped as he chuckled nervously.

"All joking aside…" Ichigo said as the notebook was tersely dumped on his head. "If you're looking for these 'Hollow' things, why aren't you tracking them down and killing them?"

The sound of howling rang through the night. Ichigo tensed up at the noise, feeling uneasy at how close the roar sounded. What was that, he thought.

"I would be, if I could sense them," the Soul Reaper said. "Normally, I have no trouble tracking Hollows. But…for some reason, my senses are being muddled."

"You dope!" Ichigo snapped. "Can't you hear it? There's something howling out there! Is it a Hollow?"

"Something howling?"

Not two seconds later, another howl rang out. This time, the Soul Reaper heard it. His eyes widened as he sprang to his feet, his hand gripping his sheathed sword. How did a Hollow get so close without him knowing? His gaze returned to the boy on the floor. How did that child hear the Hollow before he, a captain-class Soul Reaper, could sense it?

The sounds of screaming and walls crashing racked the bedroom from the kitchen below.

"That's Karin and Yuzu! They're in trouble!" Ichigo shouted. The Soul Reaper ignored him as he rushed to his bedroom door.

A massive force washed over the Soul Reaper not two feet outside the door. He stopped in his tracks as he felt the spiritual pressure. It was very strong, yet he could not sense it. How did he not notice such a strong presence before?

Stronger Hollows had been coming to Karakura and the local guardsman had been unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of one. Without a Soul Reaper to defend the souls of the town, the Soul Society had to send someone stronger and more capable. The orders were given to the Captain of Squad Thirteen. The man's original plan was to send his sister, Rukia, since she had achieved Shikai and she needed more experience handling stronger Hollows.

On the outside, he was indifferent; but inside, he was concerned. Why? He didn't know. He had promised his late wife that he would protect her younger sister; that much was true. Even so, he couldn't allow himself to baby her. She was a Soul Reaper capable of defending herself and others if the need arose. Then again, she still suffered from emotional trauma after she was forced to kill her beloved lieutenant. It hurt seeing her like that; not just because of her own pain, but because her saddened expression had resembled Hisana's so much. He couldn't bear being reminded of her.

Whatever the reason was, he still wasn't sure himself why he apprehended those orders from Rukia's Squad Captain. The frail man that was Jushiro Ukitake was willing, albeit begrudgingly, to give the orders to him on one condition; he would do the mission himself. Ukitake had a heart of gold and his skill in the art of discussion was unrivaled. The excuses the white-haired male gave were the following: it would help him get away from the stresses of his family and of his position for a short period of time and it would allow his new lieutenant some time to adjust to his new position, without having a new Captain's influence on him.

He thought it ridiculous that a Soul Reaper of his caliber be sent to the World of the Living for such reasons. But he accepted the terms nonetheless; he would follow through, no matter his opinion. That was the rule of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. He had vowed at his parent's grave that he wouldn't break any more laws after he took Rukia in as his sister.

He was brought out of his thoughts when a girl with blonde hair collapsed in Ichigo's doorway, warning him about a monster and that "Karin" was in danger. This enraged the teen, demanding to be let out of his Kidō constraints. The Soul Reaper ignored him again as he jumped down the stairway and landed in the kitchen.

A Hollow. It was large in body size with a fish-shaped mask. It was holding another girl, who was screaming her head off. A low level Hollow like that could easily be taken care of with his Kidō. He pointed a finger at the Hollow's mask. Just as he was about to cast his spell at the monster, Ichigo had rammed into him. The boy had tumbled down the stairs in an effort to get to his sister. The Soul Reaper fell to the ground in a heap alongside the boy. That was _twice_ in one day he had been disgraced in such a way.

His thoughts stopped when he saw Ichigo stand up. How was he able to move when he was under _his_ Kidō? Among all the Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, his skill with Kidō was second-to-none. Even with his powers limited by eighty percent, his Kidō was strong enough to hold a human teenager easily. Ichigo yelled as he fought against the restraints of the Kidō.

"Foolish child!" he snapped at the berry-head. "If you fight against—"

"Shut up!" Ichigo shouted at him. "Go preach to someone who cares, Grandpa!"

The Soul Reaper was about to retort when Ichigo broke through the spell. The Soul Reaper had visible shock on his face at the action. Without warning, the teen grabbed the nearest item—which happened to be a crutch—and charged at the Hollow. The Hollow swatted the teen away like a fly, sending Ichigo flying outside. Ichigo coughed, unable to move much due to the pain. The Hollow reached towards Ichigo, intending to eat his soul. The carrot-top panicked as the monstrous hand came closer to him. His eyes widened when an inhuman shriek left the Hollow's mouth as it suddenly pulled away. A giant hand was lying mere feet from him, his sister Karin lying unconscious on top of it. The Soul Reaper stood in front of him, blood dripping from his blade. Ichigo stood up on shaky legs, moving to get his sister. He held her in his arms, feeling her pulse beating in her neck.

"I understand now," the Soul Reaper stated. "All this time, it was _you_."

"I don't understand," Ichigo said.

"You have strong spirit energy for a human," the elder male explained. "That's what was attracting all these Hollows to this place. When you came in contact with the Wholes of this world, your spirit energy began to be released. It pours out of you relentlessly; that is what was confusing my senses."

"So…" Ichigo choked out. "That thing was after me?"

"Yes."

"And my family could end up dead and it's all my fault?"

He hadn't seen such a broken look on anyone's face in a long time; not since his wife's death. The deep feelings of guilt and despair were written all over the boy's features. The Soul Reaper felt his icy façade fall a miniscule amount.

"No. I did not say—"

He grunted when he felt teeth dig into his left side. Ichigo cried out "Soul Reaper" as blood sprayed across the ground. He could feel the Hollow's tongue lick the red liquid from his injuries. Out of instinct, he shot a blast of Kidō at the Hollow's mask. The Hollow reared back and disappeared. The Soul Reaper fell on his knee as he held his dislocated left shoulder.

"_How could I let my guard down? Disgraceful…_" he thought vehemently as he examined the injuries on his left arm. He had no doubt it was broken and would be useless for the remainder of the fight.

"Come and get me, you Hollow scum!" the Soul Reaper heard Ichigo yell. "If you want my soul so badly, come and take it!"

The sounds of stomping feet and howling filled the air again. Ichigo stood in place as the Hollow lunged for him. He closed his eyes, waiting for the massive jaws to clamp onto him. He heard blood splatter the ground, but there was no pain. His eyelids fluttered a bit before opening. He gasped when he saw the Hollow biting down on the Soul Reaper instead. The Soul Reaper grunted as he struggled to fight off the massive jaws with only one arm. He managed to slice off a tooth before the Hollow let go. It disappeared again as the Soul Reaper swayed. He struck his sword into the ground to help hold him up. His right arm was mangled due to the Hollow's giant teeth and the injuries on his right side now matched his left. Ichigo could faintly see the white bone in his right arm as the Soul Reaper struggled to remain upright.

"Soul Reaper…" Ichigo said.

"You are an incompetent child," he scoffed. "What made you think that it would stop with you?"

"I—"

"One soul will not satisfy them. They will continue feasting on souls endlessly, as long as they exist," he explained. He shot a glare at Ichigo. "Stop interfering…lest we all become its food."

He attempted to stand without support, but only succeeded in falling to the ground. More blood flowed out of him, creating a river of red on the ground.

"Pathetic…Absolutely_ pathetic..._" he cursed. "I let myself become too careless…"

"What's wrong? Can't you…?" the teen kneeled down next to the Soul Reaper.

"I cannot continue fighting in this condition…" he said. "I barely have the strength to move…let alone being able to cast Kidō or release my sword without harming you or your family."

"Damn it! This is all my fault!" Ichigo shouted. The Soul Reaper looked at him blankly, as if saying 'obviously'. "Soul Reaper, isn't there anything we can do!?"

"You wish to save your family that much?" he asked, grey irises looking at the orange-haired teen out of the corner of his eyes.

"Yes! Just tell me! I'll do anything!"

There was only one way out of the current situation. However, he'd be breaking so many laws by doing so. Pride vs. life? Duty vs. promises?

...He'd beat himself later for staining his honor and breaking his vow.

"Boy, sit me up against that pole," he ordered. Ichigo gave him a weird look. "There may be a way to save us all."

Ichigo didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed hold of the Soul Reaper's right arm, being mindful of his other injuries. Even in his current condition, no sign of visible pain was on the Soul Reaper's face. He laid the Soul Reaper against the pole. The elder male held up the point of his sword to Ichigo's chest, causing the berry-head to retreat a bit. The blade was shaking slightly due to the strain it put on the Soul Reaper's arm.

"If you wish to save your family, then…you must become a Soul Reaper," he said.

"Wha…? Me? I can't be a—" he was cut off by the sounds of the Hollow returning.

"I will not tolerate excuses! There's no time!" the Soul Reaper snapped, visible signs of anger crossing his features. "You must act now. Thrust my Zanpakutō through your heart and I shall infuse you with half of my powers."

"Are you sure this'll work?" Ichigo asked in a panicked voice.

"No," the man answered truthfully. "But with your level of spirit energy, it just might. If it fails, you will die…not that it truly matters in this case…"

The frightened look faded away and a more determined one replaced it. "…Then give me that blade, Soul Reaper."

"Byakuya Kuchiki. Not 'Soul Reaper', boy," he reprimanded him in a monotone.

"My name's not 'boy'," Ichigo said as he took the blade of the sword in his hand. The Hollow was right on them. A hand reached for them. "I'm Ichigo Kurosaki!"

Byakuya thrust the blade through Ichigo's chest, right through his heart. A bright flash of light blinded the Hollow briefly. A moment later, its arm was amputated by a large sword. The Hollow turned around to find Ichigo, wearing a black kimono and hakamas and wielding a very large sword. Behind the Hollow, Byakuya was holding onto his injured left side. He was dressed in a mostly white kimono—since blood stained it because of his injuries—instead of the black one he wore before.

"_That brat…how did he manage to steal almost all of my powers? I only meant to give him half…_" he thought.

Ichigo charged at the Hollow, brandishing the giant sword. He slammed it into the Hollow's torso, sending it reeling back.

"_I have never heard of a human being able to see spirits nor have I ever heard of a human being able to break through Kid__ō__. And that massive Zanpakut__ō__…the size reflects the spirit energy of the wielder…How is he able to have so much?_"

"This is for attacking my family, ya fish-faced freak!" Ichigo snapped as he jumped into the air.

He slashed the Hollow through the head, causing it to disintegrate. He looked cool and proud for a moment before passing out on the spot. Byakuya scoffed as he looked at the unconscious teenager, snoozing so peacefully as a little bit of drool dribbled down his mouth.

"My, my…" a voice said lightly. "What a mess."

Byakuya stiffened up at both the voice. He whipped his head behind him, finding a face hadn't seen in a long time.

"You…" he almost snarled, but kept his voice in a smooth tone.

"We haven't seen each other in over a hundred years and that's the greeting I get?" the man said playfully. "That's not very nice, Byakuya-bō!"

"Kisuke Urahara," Byakuya said, ignoring his annoyance at being called by his dreadful childhood nickname. "To what do I owe this displeasure?"

"Looks like you're in a bit of a bind, Bya-bō," Kisuke said. "And…I may be able to help."

Byakuya merely glared at the too-happy blonde.

"Would you like to borrow a Gigai? Looks to me like you could really use it."

Byakuya said nothing as he returned his gaze back to the sleeping teenager.

"_This child…this mere boy…what __**is**__ he?_"

* * *

Ichigo Kuroaski

Hair Color: Orange

Eye Color: Brown

Occupation: High School Student and Soul Reaper

* * *

**HoPS: Ah, plot-bunnies. They always hit ya when you least expect them. I was watching BLEACH from the beginning and this little plot-bunny took form. What if…instead of Rukia, Ichigo met a different Kuchiki? Byakuya is such a stiff; being stuck in the human world for a few months and being around people like Keigo and Ichigo would lighten anyone up after a while, even just a little.**

**I wrote most of this based on memory since I was too lazy to look up the scenes. For now, this'll remain a one-shot. Unless enough people want me to continue it…then I **_**might**_** oblige. If it does come to that, I'll clean this up some and figure out what I want to do with it plot-wise. I already have too much on my plate at the moment. Why not add more? =3**

**I hope I got Byakuya 's personality down. I always feel like I stink at keeping characters in-character.**

**One last, random note: Byakuya and Rukia have the strangest artistic skills known to the Soul Society. I don't know which obsession is worse…Seaweed Ambassador or Chappy? You decide.**


End file.
